2009 Candidate Statements
SUA Chair
Tim Lindvall: Learn more about me and send me feedback at my website: www.timforchair.com. My name is Timothy Lindvall II and I am running to be your Chair of the Student Union Assembly. I believe that as of now, the Student Union Assembly does a bit of good in our community. However, with some infrastructural changes, I believe that the SUA can do so much more. I believe in further developing the SUA so it becomes an even more valuable resource for students and organizations. Above all else, I believe in openness and fairness, working to find practical solutions to community issues that make the lives of students better. I invite you to visit my website, www.timforchair.com, where you can learn more about me and send me your feedback. Thanks for your time!
Kalwis Lo: Hi, my name is Kalwis Lo and I am currently the SUA Chair. I also sit on the Northern Student Regent Nominating Commission, the United States Student Association Board of Directors as the Development and Finance Officer, and several other administrative committees. Throughout this year I have worked hard to ensure there is a strong and recognized student voice in our campus administration, the UC Regents, the Office of the President, and the California State Legislature. If re-elected, I will continue to place students first and empower each one of our voices here at UCSC. I want to continue my hard work next year with lowering tuition at the UC, ensuring student representation in budget decisions, addressing student priorities, defending the Community Studies Department, and educating others about student concerns on our transportation deficit! Thank you for your vote. Let’s continue to make UCSC the rising leader within the UC!
Scott B. Matsumoto: I'm running for SUA Chair because a fundamental and institutional change is desperately needed in student government at UCSC. For consecutive years, the same select group have controlled student affairs who don’t represent the average student. We have seen a decline in academic standing, increasingly impacted housing, less places to study, and vital programs have been dismantled in the face of budget cuts as student fees gradually rise. As the current College Nine Senate President, I have focused on these issues and transformed College Nine by working with student organizations, the College Nine Administration, and other student governments at UCSC. As Chair, I will work to ensure every student has access to receive the best possible education, increase communication throughout college governments, and work alongside the UCSC Administration to improve transparency and accountability for students. Together, we can bring new life to SUA and restore confidence in student university governance.
Internal Vice Chair
Tiffany Loftin: Hey UCSC, The issues on this campus are real, the people and their issues are real, and the time we have on this campus, as students, cannot be taken for granted. It has been a blessing to serve as your Internal Vice Chair this past year, and a privilege to advocate on behalf of UCSC Students. This past year I revived the Student Committee on Committees, appointing committee reps who advocated for you on transportation issues, textbook affordability, and expanding campus diversity. I institutionalized a new image for SUA. I organized the Inauguration Ball which was a testament to our Voter Registration success and founded Slug Day, which brought a greater sense of pride for being a UCSC student. I want to continue to expand student participation and leadership. If re-elected, I will continue my dedicated service to you on these issues and will strive to protect the student voice.
External Vice Chair
Victor Sanchez: My name is Victor Sanchez, and I am running to be re-elected as your SUA Eternal Vice Chair. Over the past year I organized the most successful voter registration campaign in this campus’ history, took record amounts of students to conferences, integrated leadership development into our organizing, chaired both the Undergraduate and University Affairs statewide committees and have worked hard to make sure our lobby efforts have adequately represented the views and interests of students on this campus. As the UC Student Association’s Advocate of the Year, I will continue strong advocacy efforts on the local, state, and national level, making sure that our voices are heard and protected. Amidst these budget cuts, we cannot let education and its funding fall through the bureaucratic cracks without any transparency or accountability. With your vote I will work tirelessly to make sure that education is a right, and not a privilege!
Commissioner of Academic Affairs
Matthew Palm: As your Commissioner of Academic Affairs (CAA), I followed through on my promises to work on College Affordability, TA Diversity Training, Ethnic Studies and sustainability curriculum. I organized or co-sponsored over a dozen events, lobbied administrators and faculty committees, ran surveys, gathered petitions and researched academic policies for E^2 and student organizations. I also expanded the CAA office staff to largest it has been since the office’s creation in 2004. In the Academic Senate, I fought hard to keep Ethnic Studies in General Education. Some faculty members left the Winter Academic Senate meeting saying we swayed their votes against an attempt to weaken the ethnic studies requirement. I am running again because I want to finish what I started. If re-elected, I will continue the campaigns I have started and will continue to lend the CAA office’s resources to students in any department facing elimination. Thank you.
Organizing Director
Evelyn Lara-Lopez: Hey Slugs! My name is Evelyn Lara and I am running to be your SUA Organizing Director (OD)! I am a freshman and I have what it takes to be OD because, in just one year I was elected SUA’s Merrill Representative, interned for both the current OD and External Vice Chair, and appointed SUA’s Media/Historian. I am really excited and passionate about this position because it revolves around issues that are closest to my heart. If elected Organizing Director I will be sure to work: Towards the retention and graduation of underrepresented communities; To advocate for lower student fees providing greater access to education; To support students initiated outreach and secure it’s funding; To improve workers conditions and fight for their rights; To give students a stronger sense of community; And to make SUA visible and effective. In Peace and Solidarity.
Claudia Magana: My name is Claudia Magana and I am running for SUA Organizing Director because I believe that this campus needs an organizer who is empathetic and aware of the many issues we, as students, are facing. Over the past year, I was the Campus Organizing Director for the External Vice Chair, working on campaigns focused around access and affordability, student power, and student voice. If elected, I will dedicate myself towards advocating on students’ behalf through direct action organizing on issues such as student fees, student transit, worker solidarity, and financial accountability for the administration. I will make it my priority to be available and a resource to all student organizations on campus so that we can unite to fight for causes we are all passionate about.
Commissioner of Diversity
Leda Hernandez: As a third year student at University of California Santa Cruz, I have not only observed my surroundings but I have taken an active interest in the welfare of my fellow peers. Being a first generation college educated Latina, I strongly believe in a just education within an academic and social field for every student within this campus. The display of the idea of free education and equality is only attainable for those that are privileged by institutional guidelines. If given the opportunity to represent our student body, I would do everything I possibly can to contribute to the betterment of not only the student itself but to the many branching aspects that a student interacts with on the daily basis; specifically the many contributors to a student’s education and sustainable living. In the end, UCSC is meant for the student and should always be kept at their needs.
Omar Villa: I am running for Student Union Assembly’s Commissioner of Diversity. As an active member of the different the Ethnic Resource Centers, the Educational Outreach Program, Students Informing Now, Merrill Student Government and Activities and I have attended many events through SUA that make me a qualified candidate to work with the different diverse communities on campus. If elected Commissioner of Diversity, I will commit and dedicate my time to bring awareness on campus of different issues affecting students today especially with the way the US economic recession and the UC system is heading. I am looking forward in working with the organizations, resource centers, and outreach/retention centers, as part of the Commissioner of Diversity duty to help increase the unity within all these groups to help during these hard times and burden students are being faced with. Together as one we will be able to make change!
College Representative
Ian Hunter: Hey Stevenson! As your 2009-2010 Stevenson College Representative I will represent Stevenson to the utmost, always interacting with faculty and students to ensure that my position is not taken for granted. As a representative I’ll have the ability to introduce measures in the Student Union Assembly, so come talk to me and tell me what you want! I have experience as both a member of the SUA and Stevenson Council, as well as interning for the SUA Chair. I also traveled to Sacramento this February to lobby against state cuts that threatened to raise our tuition and eliminate Cal Grant funding. Now, I’m working on establishing financial transparency in the UCSC budget, which is currently non-existent. We need accountability to make UCSC and Stevenson College the best that it can be! As your representative I will help this cause and the needs of all Stevenson students. Thanks for your support.
Michelle Romero: Our theme is “Social Justice & Community” but C10 doesn’t quite feel like a community. We remain among the lowest represented colleges in student government and other areas of leadership around campus. One reason for this is C10 is a newer college and does not have a long history of social justice leaders yet. Another reason is our college senate has failed to properly reach out or represent us. While we do have programs like PRAXIS, Alternative Spring Break, and 2-credit courses to develop leaders, I think we can do better. My goal is to bridge the communication barrier between SUA, C10 Senate, and students like you, to foster a true community of leaders working for social justice right here on campus! My experience includes being a Legislative Intern in SUA and working on several state-wide and national campaigns affecting students. Together we can make C10 work for us!
Nestor Rivera: As a Community Assistant for Kresge College I believe that I can be held accountable for my position as a college representative I have the proper outlets for information to be publicized for the wider Kresge community.